Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, 20th Century Studio Showcase
On a humid Saturday morning, thousands of fans lined up outside of the Anaheim Convention Center in order to get a good seat for the most anticipated panel of the expo: The Marvel/ Lucasfilms / 20th Century showcase. Here they would be the first people to see never before seen footage and hear from the stars of their favorite movies.
Kathleen Kennedy kicked off the panel to guide the audience through Lucasfilm’s upcoming lineup. Leading the way is Andor a 24-episode spy thriller starring Diego Luna. The stars of the series joined the stage to unveil the shows final trailer. Andor focuses on the lives of the people affected by the Empire. Season 1 premieres on Disney+ September 21.
Last time audiences visited Andowyne was in 1988, and Lucasfilms is taking us back with the new live-action fantasy series Willow. Warwick Davis was joined on stage by Joanne Whalley (Sorsha), Ruby Cruz (Kit), Erin Kellyman (Jade), Ellie Bamber (Dove), Dempsey Bryk (Airk), Amar Chadha-Patel (Boorman) and Tony Revolori (Graydon). The major surprise was Christian Slater being brought to the stage to announce himself as a part of the ensemble. Willow follows a group of unlikely heroes on a dangerous quest to save their world. Willow premieres on Disney+ November 30.
Moving back into the Star Wars universe, Executive producer Dave Filoni joined the stage to introduce the upcoming titles streaming soon on Disney+. New images from the second season of the animated series Star Wars: The Bad Batch. The second season will continue from where the first one left off as they continue to explore new places and take on thrilling missions. Season 2 starts streaming on Disney+ January 4, 2023.
Continuing on the animation wave, Filoni moved to Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi. It will be six brand-new animated shorts built around the Jedi from the prequel era. Viewers will follow the lives of Ahsoka Tano and Count Dooku as they make choices that will define their destinies. All six shorts will debut on Disney+ on October 26. Currently filming is Ahsoka which is slated to release in 2023.
To end the Star Wars talk, Jon Favreau joined the stage with the stars of The Mandalorian to talk about the upcoming third season. Season 3 reunites Grogu and the Mandalorian. It will be launching next year.
The Lucasfilm portion couldn’t have ended without a look at the upcoming Indiana Jones. New details and a sizzle reel were shared with the crowd. Harrison Ford and Phoebe Waller-Bridge were welcomed with roars from the crowd. Ford gave an emotional speech to close out.
A show-stopping performance of “I Could Do This All Day” from the fictional Rogers: The Musical guided the presentation into Marvel Studios upcoming slate. The musical number was brought to life with an orchestra and set pieces that made Hall D23 feel like a broadway theater.
The first trailer for the Disney+ series Secret Invasion starring Samuel L. Jackson, Don Cheadle, Ben Mendelsohn, Cobie Smulders, Olivia Colman, Emilia Clarke, and Kingsley Ben-Adir was shown to the crowd. The series’s premise is about a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls who have been infiltrating Earth for years.
Footage for the upcoming Captain Marvel sequel, The Marvels was presented by director Nia DaCosta and cast Iman Vellani, Teyonah Parris, and Brie Larson. From the unreleased footage, this film centers around the three superheroes figuring out how to work together with interwoven powers.
While showing more footage from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, executive producer Ryan Coogler brought an early looks at the new Disney+ series, Ironheart. It takes place after the events of Wakanda Forever and will dive into the dynamics of tech and magic within the MCU.
Michael Giacchino is working with the MCU but not as a composer, but a director. He put together the first-ever MCU holiday special, Werewolf By Night. It is very reminiscent of The Twilight Zone.
Season 2 of Loki is currently filming. Cast members flew out to Anaheim to give the audience a glimpse of what to expect next from the God of Mischief. The second installation picks up directly after the shocking season 1 finale. Don Cheadle joined to discuss Armor Wars detailing that production won’t start until next year. Charlie Cox made the official announcement of returning as Daredevil in Daredevil: Born Again which is expected to start filming soon. More details on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever were given by its cast on how the story will revolve around the Wakandans fighting to protect their nation from intervening world powers after the death of King T’Challa. Phase 5 officially begins with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, and Jonathan Majors showed footage of Scott Lang, Hope Van Dyne, Hank Pym, and Cassie Lang teaming up in the Quantum Realm.
One of the biggest announcements of the day was the unveiling of the Thunderbolt’s identities. Julia Louis-Dreyfus‘s Valentina Allegra de Fontaine has moving around the MCU. to form her own Suicide Squad-esque team featuring David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Sebastian Stan , Wyatt Russell , Olga Kurylenko , and Florence Pugh. Thunderbolts is set to release on July 26, 2024.
Virtually from New Zealand, director James Cameron joined Hall D23 to show scenes from Avatar: The Way of Water. Each audience member was given Dolby 3D glasses to immerse themselves back into the world of Avatar. The sequel focuses on the Sully family and the trouble they find themselves in to stay alive and safe.